Silver Silk
by QueenOfTheYaoi
Summary: A lily pure silver in color, who's petals were silk in Cloud's fingers.  It radiated energy.  Sunlight hit it and the flower turned to ash.  Glancing at the flower bed Cloud saw three more piles of ash.  Four lilies of silver silk.  What does it mean?
1. Unexpected Visitor

Cloud walked through the doors of the abandoned church, sitting on the small bed that resided in it with a contented sigh. He'd been running deliveries since 7:00 am, so it felt good to be able to sit on something softer than Fenrir. But the blonde couldn't help but think something was…off. There was on odd…aura, almost…filling the church. His old SOLDIER instincts kicking in, he scanned the floor of the church, but saw nothing out of the ordinary. With a weary shrug, Cloud dismissed his suspicion as paranoia and laid back in the bed. After all, paranoia happened to everyone who was dealing with the after effects of saving the world. Twice. He heard his phone ring in his pocket. With a groan, he pulled it out, flipped it open, and held it to his ear.

"Cloud Strife speaking." He said in a rather bored tone.

_Oh my Shiva, you actually answered your phone. What kind of apocalypse should I be expecting?_Tifa teased. Cloud sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose with his free hand.

"Thank you, Tifa, for reminding me why I never pick this damn thing up." Cloud heard Tifa giggle.

_Sorry, Cloud. Glad I caught you, though. Where are you?_

"At the church."

_Ooh, good! Would you mind bringing me some flowers?_

"…You forgot to water the ones I brought you last week, didn't you." Cloud stated rather than asked.

_Err…well…I didn't mean to, it just slipped my mind!_ Cloud sighed and covered his face with his hand.

"If I bring you more, will you take care of them this time?"

_Of course!_

"Fine then. What color?"

_Any color is fine, just bring me about six of them, alright?_

"Okay, I'll bring them by the Seventh Heaven later."

_Thanks Cloud, see you then!_The line went dead. Cloud stared at his phone for a few moments before slipping it back in his pocket. He stood and walked to the patch of flowers, scanning them for the blooms ready to be picked. Kneeling in the center of the small garden, he quickly found and plucked three yellow and two white flowers. One more good bloom and he could bring them to Tifa, and have the rest of the day to himself. Light filtered through the broken roof, and Cloud's attention was drawn by something glimmering in the sun's rays.

Upon closer examination, Cloud found that what had caught his eye was a flower that was pure silver in color, stem and all, in the very back of the flower bed. He treaded over to the bloom and picked it. It was beautiful, no doubt about that, with petals that felt more like silk against Cloud's ungloved fingers. He noticed that it also seemed to radiate energy of some sort that was vaguely familiar, but he couldn't place from where. Sunlight filtered through the church again, a stray beam hitting the silver lily, making it shine once more. Cloud watched as the flower absorbed the light reflecting off it, glowing a shade of green that reminded the blonde of the Lifestream's swirling depths before falling to ashes in his fingers. An unseen wind blew the ashes out of Cloud's hand and out of the church through a missing pane of a stained glass window. Raising an eyebrow, Cloud searched the flower bed for any other silver lilies, but only found the remnants of what the flowers once were: three small piles of ash, and the ash from the fourth flower that had managed to cling to the blonde's fingers. Cloud sighed in agitation and continued looking for Tifa's last flower, annoyed by his peaking curiosity. If he ever saw another flower of silver silk, it would be far too soon.

"I never had taken you for a flower kind of man, Cloud," A voice said from above Cloud. Cloud, putting a face and name to the voice, unsheathed First Tsuguri and fell into a fighting stance, nearly snarling as his eyes fell on the voice's owner. The figure was sitting, legs outstretched and back against the wall, on the large ledge beneath one of the church's windows. He was staring off into space, not seeming to care about Cloud's intimidating display. When his gaze finally fell below him, it fell upon the flower bed instead of the hostile looking blonde. "Although, they are quite lovely." Finally locking eyes with Cloud, bluish green staring into sapphire and seeing nothing but bad intentions, the figure sighed and jumped graciously to the floor a few yards away from the swordsman, his hair cascading around him like waves of silver silk.

"I'm imagining. You aren't here. There's no way you could be here." Cloud growled, tightening his grip on the hilt of his sword. Although, somewhere in the back of Cloud's mind, he registered that he'd been able to see and feel Aerith and Zack after they had passed away, and that this could be a similar situation. The figure simply chuckled and smirked.

"I assure you, I'm very much here, alive and well."

"Lies!" Cloud ran at the figure, swinging at him as if the sword alone could dilute the ghosts of his past. The figure gave a sad smile and stood his ground, making no attempt to avoid the oncoming attack. Seeing that the figure wasn't going to dodge him and that the hit would be fatal if it landed, Cloud slowed his assault, putting the blade of First Tsuguri against the figure's neck. A few beads of blood leaked onto the sword's cold steel, and Cloud was shocked to see that the figure's blood was crimson, not black. "I could kill you, right now, and make sure that you never escape the Lifestream again." Cloud snarled, putting a bit more pressure on the sword. He was secretly pleased when the figure winced.

"I didn't come here for a fight, Cloud. Pat me down, I'm completely unarmed." The figure said, maintaining his calm voice even though internally he was in a panic. Locking eyes with Cloud again, the figure tried to silently show that he meant no harm to the blonde or anyone else. Cloud reluctantly pulled back First Tsuguri, his eyes never leaving that of the silver haired intruder.

"If you haven't come for a fight, then why are you here?"

"Why am I here, as in 'why am I out of the Lifestream' or 'why am I here with you'?"

"Both. Just sit down, start explaining, and keep your hands where I can see them." Cloud answered, pointing to the bed. The figure sat down, and Cloud stood in front of him.

"First, I didn't escape the Lifestream." The figure put air quotes around the word escape. "I was released from it. Sent back to Gaia, given new life."

"But why?"

"Your guess is as good as mine." The figure answered with a sigh. "I'm pretty sure it was explained to me before I left, but I can't remember much of my time in the Lifestream. I barely remember my time on Gaia _before _I entered the Lifestream." Cloud raised an eyebrow.

"What _do _you remember?" He asked, finally remembering that he was still holding First Tsuguri and resheathing it. The figure shrugged.

"You, mainly. I didn't come here to explain myself, either. There'll be plenty of time for that later."

"Then why did you come?" The figure looked away again, and spoke quietly and reluctantly.

"I...wasn't the only one who returned to Gaia. My brothers returned with me. But they're ill. Two of them have been fading in and out of conciousness, and the third collapsed and hasn't woken up since."

"Wait..._three_? Besides yourself?" The figure nodded, and Cloud's heart sank. "You don't mean..." The figure nodded again.

"Yes, Sephiroth has returned with us." Cloud's mind went blank as he took those words in. Sephiroth was back. Sephiroth was alive. But _which _Sephiroth? There was the psychotic madman who had killed Aerith, nearly killed him, and had almost succeeded in destroying the world through Meteor. But there was also the man who had been a SOLDIER general. The man who had been the perfect fighter on the battlefield, always on time to ShinRa events and with paperwork, and always calm and collected in his mannerisms. The man who had had a rough past without knowing what compassion was, how to give it or recognize when it was being received, and had been taught more life lessons by the few who had gotten around his defenses enough to be considered his friends than all his years in the lab or at war. The man Cloud respected, and even cared about. The blonde didn't know how to respond to the new information, instead staring blankly at the man sitting in front of him. Seeming to read Cloud's mind, the figure shook his head.

"Sephiroth has been unconcious for a week now, I'm not sure whether or not he's retained his sanity." Cloud nodded.

"So what you're asking me is-"

"To take pity on a man with a checkered past, who's concerned for his family's well being and has nowhere else to turn." The figure bowed his head pleadingly, hands tightening into fists in his leather clad lap. Cloud was silent, various things running through his head at once, and those things multiplying like bunnies. Somehow, the Remnants and Sephiroth himself had returned from the Lifestream, for reasons unknown. They were back on Gaia, alive, but what did that mean for the planet? Sephiroth had caused chaos with Meteor, as had the Remnants with Bahamut SIN. Now that they had returned, would that happen again? While Cloud took his time pondering the pros and cons of his different options, the figure was still sitting still, dead silent, teeth and fists clenched with anticipation and worry. If Cloud said no, his brothers would die, and he couldn't- no, _wouldn't _let that happen. After at least five minutes of silence, Cloud flipped out his phone and dialed a number, holding it to his ear.

_Yuffie here._

"Yuffie." Cloud said, knowing that the hyperactive ninja would recognize the sound of his voice.

_Oh...my...god...Cloud! You actually use your phone?_

"Just for today. Listen Yuffie, what's the strongest cure materia you have?"

_Umm...that would be a half mastered level five. Why?_

"I need to borrow it." The blonde spared a glance at the intruder, who was lounging on the bed, waiting patiently for Cloud to finish his conversation.

_Really? For what?_

"It doesn't matter at the moment, Yuffie. Please, just trust me, and don't tell anyone. Understand?"

_Yup. Yuffie give Cloud healing materia, Yuffie keep quiet. Got it. _Yuffie answered with a giggle. Cloud internally groaned and wondered if he'd just made a huge mistake.

"Good. I'll pick it up in a few minutes."

_Kay. Seeya, Cloud, and good luck on your secret mission! _The line went dead. Cloud slipped the phone back into his pocket and gave his attention back to the figure.

"Where are you staying?" He asked, quickly putting his gloves on and picking up Tifa's flowers. The figure sat upright in the bed again.

"An apartment in Kalm. I'll take you there." The figure stood and walked towards the door. Cloud reluctantly followed, but stopped when he reached the center of the room. What was he doing? He was probably just imagining this, anyway! The figure walked back to him. "Something wrong?"

"You...really are Yazoo, aren't you." Cloud stated rather than asked. He lifted his hand and reluctantly rested it against the Remnant's chest, half expecting it to phase through Yazoo's body or make the image dissolve completely. Needless to say, he was surprised when he felt the solid torso beneath his hand and the thrum of the heartbeat that laid within it, something that, Cloud recalled, the Remnants hadn't had when they were "alive". Yazoo chuckled and rested his hand over Cloud's.

"Like I said, I'm very much here, alive and well."

.o.O.o.

A/N- I apologize for referring to Yazoo as "the figure" for most of the story. I wanted to see how many people could figure out who he was without me saying his name. ^^ I also apologize if I messed up the materia strengths and stuff. materia isn't my forte. If I got it wrong, just tell me and I'll fix it.

So how was it? Bad, good, odd? Gimme reviews. I think I'll go with...three. Yes, three reviews before I write a second chappie. So give em to me, kay? :D


	2. The Healing Process

Yazoo and Cloud rode side by side through the dirt paths that led to Kalm, the hum of their motorcycles being the only noise that broke the silence between them. The Remnant, or rather the former Remnant, was too anxious to say anything. He knew fully well that the fate of his siblings rested on Cloud's shoulders. It wasn't that Yazoo didn't trust Cloud, he just wasn't sure whether or not the blonde was the type to carry a grudge. If he was, then there could be some problems. Cloud simply didn't feel the need to speak; he knew what the plan was. Heal the other three silver haired men, demand answers once they were well enough to think properly and speak, evaluate how much of a threat they were to Gaia, and choose whether to spare them or bring them to AVALANCHE to be eliminated before they could cause trouble. Yazoo appeared to be harmless enough, but that didn't necessarily mean that would prove true with Loz, Kadaj, and Sephiroth.

"You associate with some interesting characters, Cloud," Yazoo noted, wanting to at the very least be on speaking terms with the blonde before arriving. Cloud groaned quietly.

"You're telling me." He replied, recalling the reactions he'd gotten upon his arrival at the Seventh Heaven. Tifa had squealed, rather loudly too, when Cloud had brought her the flowers. Yuffie handed him the materia, not being secretive in the slightest, and had asked that as payment, Cloud tell her all about his secret adventure when he returned. Yuffie's loudmouth ways had peaked Reno's curiosity, along with sending Tifa into her "worried best friend" mode. While the redhead (and Yuffie) pestered him about his endeavors, Tifa had been asking questions concerning how well Cloud had thought out whatever he was doing. Through _Reno's _loudmouth ways, Barret had found out and asked if he'd be needing any backup, while Cid had found out and asked if he needed a ride anywhere. Vincent had found out through Cid, and had taken Tifa's place as the one playing 20 questions, asking where he was going and why, along with if he'd be going alone and various other things that Cloud really didn't want to answer. Getting sick of being hounded, Cloud had eventually just stormed out of the bar without a word. Yazoo had been there, hidden but still watching, and was internally laughing at the swordsman's misfortune, while at the same time wishing he had people to hound him like Cloud did. After all, all the pestering and questions and comments were just signs of indirect affection, and they both knew it. "But there's nothing I can do about it. That's just who they are."

"But don't they annoy you?" Yazoo asked in a confused tone. He couldn't wrap his head around the idea of _wanting _to be in the company of people that bother you, but that was exactly what Cloud seemed to be doing.

"To no end," Cloud explained, "but they mean the world to me regardless." The blonde spared a glance in Yazoo's direction, wanting to roll his eyes at his confused expression. "It's hard to explain. Friends are just...willing to deal with everything they get from each other, good and bad." Yazoo nodded, not fully understanding the concept of friendship, but not feeling the need to question Cloud further. In his mind, friendship was a good thing that was formed of bad things, as odd as that seemed. "I have a question for you now."

"Oh? And what would that be?"

"You don't call me brother anymore. Why is that?" Yazoo raised an eyebrow. That was one of the last things he'd ever expected to have questioned.

"If I recall correctly, you didn't approve of it when we called you that before. Besides, technecally we aren't biologically related." The silver haired man answered. Cloud nodded.

"You don't necessarily have to be related to be family."

"How do you figure?"

"Well...Tifa and Yuffie, Vincent and Reno, Barret and Cid...they're my family. That's why I put up with them." The former Remnant just stared ahead, more confused than he was before. Cloud had friends that bugged him...but those friends were his family...and that's why he dealt with them? Did he _have _to deal with them, then? And how were they family if they weren't related by blood? Yazoo was almost relieved when he saw Kalm. Giving his mind a break, he sped up towards the city, Cloud following suit.

They drove through the gates, and Cloud took a moment to marvel. Kalm truly had grown since his SOLDIER days, with the shops noticeably larger and more spread out, along with the inns. The pair drove past them all and towards the residential section of the city. Yazoo turned into an alley and parked his bike, Cloud doing the same.

"Through here," Yazoo said, dismounting his bike and pointing to a wooden door. The silver haired man pushed it open, revealing a flight of steps. At the top of said steps was another door. He opened the second door and stepped through, leaving it open behind him for Cloud to follow. Cloud gaped as he saw the apartment.

The door opened to reveal a living room, well furnished with beige walls and pale, sandy carpet. A large television hung on the wall, with a long brown sofa in the center of the room. Cream colored drapes were drawn back, revealing a long row of windows that revealed the village streets below. A loveseat was neatly pushed underneath the windows, with a matching recliner in the corner of the room.

"How are you paying for this?" Cloud asked. But by his tone, Yazoo knew the question that Cloud really wanted answered was "are you stealing someone's house?" He shook his head.

"Some people on Gaia are more forgiving than others; a young lady is allowing us to stay here, free of charge."

"She even pays for our food and stuff," Replied a new voice. Cloud's eyes were drawn back to the sofa. He just now realized that it was occupied. Mostly by Kadaj, who was passed out on it, and had his head in Loz's lap. He was stroking Kadaj's hair in an almost comforting gesture. Cloud noticed that instead of his usual outfit of black leather, Loz was wearing plain blue jeans and a white t-shirt. He almost looked normal. "she's a nice girl." Loz added.

"Loz, you should be resting." Yazoo scolded lightly, going to kneel in front of the sofa. He rested a hand against Kadaj's forehead.

"Yeah, yeah, I know," The largest Remnant began, never looking up or stopping his ministrations on his younger sibling's hair, "but brother was awake earlier. He's strange, he likes the sofa better than his bed. I was just, y'know, making sure he fell asleep again. And I wanted to make sure you got back alright." Loz shrugged, trying to make it seem like he hadn't worried his ass off about Yazoo while he wasn't there. But his soft eyes gave him away, and Yazoo stood up, smallest of smiles gracing his face.

"I'm back now, don't cry," Yazoo teased, getting a pout from Loz in return, "and how have you been?" He asked, feeling Loz's forehead as he'd just felt Kadaj's. Loz shrugged again.

"Not better, but not worse either. I havent passed out today, that's good, right?"

"Very." His glance moved to a door on the far right wall. Loz followed his eyes and sighed quietly. "And what about...?"

"Hasn't woken up yet. He's stirring, though. Maybe he'll wake up soon." Yazoo nodded in response and gestured for Cloud to join him. Cloud mindlessly came to the silver haired man's side, a bit caught off guard by the displays of affection he'd witnessed. Cloud knew full well that Kadaj, Loz, and Yazoo were all brothers, but honestly, he hadn't expected there to be any real bond between them, besides that of their genes. Loz looked at him with curious eyes, noticeably stiffening and putting a hand over Kadaj's forehead almost protectively. "Your hair looks familiar. Did we know you from before?" Cloud almost laughed. Of all the things Loz could've remembered about him, he had remembered his hair. If that wasn't a sign he was due for a new hairstyle, he didn't know what was. But getting a haircut could wait for later.

"You don't remember him?" Yazoo asked, shocked. Cloud was the only thing he remembered, and he'd assumed Loz and Kadaj would remember the same things he did. Loz shook his head, never taking his eyes off Cloud, unconciously recognizing him as a threat to his brothers. Yazoo ran a hand through his hair distractedly. "This is Cloud Strife. He's our...um..."

"I'm an old aquaintance of Sephiroth's." Cloud cut in, saving Yazoo from having to think of a title for him. And technecally, he wasn't lying.

"Really?" Loz and Yazoo asked in sync, looking at Cloud with wide eyes. Cloud nudged Yazoo with his elbow, trying to get the message across without turning to give the silver haired man the "shut up" glare that he normally reserved for Yuffie or Reno. Understanding, Yazoo flushed and scratched the back of his head sheepishly.

"I brought him here to help you and our brothers." The middle sibling said, deciding to use Loz's two year old attention span to his advantage. Loz furrowed his brows.

"He'll help us? How?" He asked, looking back down at Kadaj. His eyes took on the slightest look of sadness, of hopelessness. Cloud looked at Yazoo and subtly gestured to Loz, almost as if silently asking permission to approach him. Yazoo nodded, and Cloud pulled the glowing orb of materia out of his messenger bag. He walked to Loz, who watched him with eyes that showed his inner conflict, and held the green orb in front of his chest. It glowed brightly before the light shot into Loz's body, making him glow soft green. The eldest ex-Remnant let out a relieved sigh when he felt the liquid warmth of the cure spell remove every last bit of pain he felt in his head and chest. Cloud pulled the materia away and the glowing ceased. Loz looked down at himself in amazement. "...Oh, that's how." He said, chuckling quietly. Yazoo sighed in relief and smiled at Cloud appreciatively, who gave a nod in response and moved to do the same to Kadaj. When Cloud pulled away this time, he noticed that both of the concious siblings were holding their breath in anticipation. All was silent until finally, three minutes after the spell had been cast on him, Kadaj jerked upright with a gasp, nearly tumbling off the couch. Loz caught him and held him in place until the panting teen could catch his breath. Kadaj clinged to him in return.

"Wow…Loz…I feel…much better…" He managed to get out, and smiled up at his eldest brother. Kadaj readjusted himself so he was sitting upright on the sofa and cracked his joints, all stiff from lying down for so long. Once he felt everything pop back into place, he let out a contented sigh and looked at Yazoo, then over Yazoo's shoulder at Cloud. His eyes showed shock, confusion, and maybe even fear. Cloud couldn't tell; the youngest sibling averted his eyes, instead staring sadly at his hands in his lap. "Have you...come to kill us...?" An unknown emotion stabbed Cloud's heart at Kadaj's words. He was about to deny it, even though it hadn't been said as an accusation, but Yazoo spoke first.

That is, he spoke _after _giving Kadaj a flick on his forehead.

Kadaj winced and rubbed between his eyebrows. "Oww! Yazoo, what was that for?" He whined, eyes tearing from the sting. Yazoo just shook his head disapprovingly.

"Cloud just healed you, and that's what you say to him? Don't be ingrateful." Yazoo scolded, crossing his arms.

"I was getting to the "being grateful" part! I just had to ask first! That didn't give you the right to assault my forehead!"

"Fine, if that didn't give me right, then the fact that I'm older than you does."

"Only by two years!" Kadaj replied, not caring about the flick anymore, and only keeping the argument going out of pride. Cloud raised an eyebrow and looked at Loz, who chuckled at his squabbling siblings. Understanding Cloud's confusion, Loz pointed to Kadaj and mouthed "sixteen", then to Yazoo and mouthed "eighteen", and finally to himself, mouthing "twenty-one". Their biological ages. The blonde nodded and listened to the fight again, not feeling the need to break it up just yet.

"At least I'm not _short_." Yazoo argued. Kadaj gasped dramatically and covered his chest with his hand.

"I'm not _short_, just young! When I'm older, I'll be taller than you are!"

"Wasn't talking about height."

"Well...I...err..." Kadaj flushed and scratched the back of his neck, not having a response for that particular comment. "Using low blows now? No fair!"

"As if you have something to hit." Yazoo answered, smirking. Kadaj growled and opened his mouth to say something, but discovered that he'd run out of smart-ass replies.

"...Hmph." The youngest crossed his arms and pouted childishly. "Looooz, Yazoo's being mean to me!"

"Hey, keep me outta this," Loz responded, putting his hands up in mock surrender. Deciding enough was enough, Cloud cleared his throat. The three turned to him, Yazoo and Kadaj appearing to have forgotten he was there.

"I have one more person to heal, if you haven't forgotten, Yazoo." The blonde said, taking the orb of materia out once more. Yazoo nodded and glanced hesitantly at the door that led to Sephiroth's bedroom. He held his hand out to Cloud.

"Perhaps...I should heal big brother instead. Just in case..." His voice trailed off, but Cloud got the picture. If Sephiroth woke up a psychopath, he'd be less likely to attack one of the ex-Remnants than he would Cloud. The blonde nodded, apprehensive, and gave Yazoo the materia. The middle sibling walked into Sephiroth's room without another word. The two remaining silver haired men looked at each other wearily.

"Yazoo, wait for me." Kadaj called, standing and striding to the door. He slipped inside and shut it quickly behind him. Cloud and Loz heard the lock click shut. They stared at the door in silence that was more anxious than awkward. Loz stood suddenly, crossing his arms.

"What do my brothers remember about you that I don't?" Taken aback by not only the question, but Loz's tone when asking it, Cloud simply blinked. "I mean, I know you said you knew big brother, and I can tell you weren't lying, but I know it's more than just that. You knew _us _directly, didn't you?" Loz continued. Cloud blinked again before nodding in silent answer. "How? How did you know us?"

"You and your brothers...wreaked havoc on Gaia. We were enemies."

"Enemies..." He repeated before falling back on the sofa, burying his face in his hands. Pulling them away slowly, Loz stared at them. "...I hurt people. We all did. I remember it." Cloud felt his anger spiking at the reminder.

"You didn't just hurt people, you _killed _them. Destroyed homes, tore apart families, caused physical and emotional damage that might never be fixed. You yourself hurt someone I'm very close to, and kidnapped another." He hissed the words more harshly than he'd intended, hands clenching into fists and eyes narrowing despite his best efforts to keep calm. Loz looked as if he'd been stabbed, guilt and empathy making tears flow.

"That lady with black hair...and the little brunette girl...I never meant to hurt them...I never meant to hurt _anyone_...none of us did..." Whatever Loz muttered next was incoherent, but Cloud could make out the words "I'm sorry" among the sobs.

"It happened, regardless of if you meant to or not." Cloud turned to the door and looked at Loz over his shoulder. "I'm leaving. Tell Yazoo to return Yuffie's materia whenever Sephiroth wakes up." He walked to the door and heard Loz sigh.

"Cloud...did you know a redhead that passed away?"

Cloud stopped dead in his tracks, hand halfway to the doorknob.

"A redhead?"

"Yeah, a man with red hair. Not as bright as the hair on the guy Yazoo fought before, I don't think _anyone _can have hair that bright, but I don't think he dyes it-"

"Loz!" Cloud scolded, pinching the bridge of his nose in annoyance. He could understand curiosity about the history of Reno's red hair, he himself had wondered several times, but now definately wasn't the time for that. "Tell me about the redhead."

"Oh, right, sorry," Loz scratched the back of his head in an embarassed gesture. "Um...he was about your height, probably a bit shorter. Looked young...mid twenties maybe? Nice, but kinda arrogant. And he talked funny, like...uh...I can't describe it. Just...weirdly." He shrugged nonchalantly. Cloud finally turned to look at the eldest ex-Remnant, his eyes betraying his calm appearence.

"Poetic?" The blonde offered, trying his best to keep the shakiness out of his voice. Loz nodded eagerly.

"Yeah! He spoke all poetically and cryptically and stuff."

"...What else do you remember?"

Loz scratched his temple. "That's it, I think...Oh, he gave me something, though!" Loz stood and opened a door that he assumed led to the man's bedroom. When he walked back out, he handed Cloud a book he knew well.

A white leather bound book, with the name LOVELESS printed on it in gold letters.

Cloud was afraid to open it. He already knew that there, on the inside cover, printed in the same gold letters as the title, at the bottom left corner, would be the name of the book's owner. He swallowed the nervous bile rising in his throat and opened it slowly, cautiously.

_Genesis Rhapsodos_

"He called it the proof in the pudding, or something like that..." Loz said after he realized Cloud was in shock. The blonde looked up slowly. Locking eyes with Loz, he walked forward, grabbing the man's forearms with almost bruising force.

"I need you to tell me, Loz. How do you know Genesis?" He hissed out through clenched teeth. Loz winced as Cloud's nails dug into his skin, but ignored it to the best of his ability.

"He was the one who-"

"Cloud!" Kadaj flung the door to Sephiroth's room opened and ran up to the blonde, pulling on his sleeve. "H-he's still unconcious! We...We c-can't get him to wake up!"

"_What_?" Loz and Cloud yelled at the same time. Cloud let Kadaj pull him along, Loz following with an expression that clearly showed his concern.

Getting the answers his heart craved could wait until after his One Winged Angel had rejoined the world of the living.

.o.O.o.

A/N- Hello again, people! I know, i said I wouldn't continue until I had three reviews, but the plot bunnies for this story wouldn't leave me alone! .

I only had one review form omgitskirby. Thanks for reviewing, dear, I appreciate it. :3 and here is the next chappie. TA DAAA! I hope it meets your expectations. :D

Oh, and this story was also added to a community! That made me soooo happy! :D It's called "Read's way too much" and it's managed by Deaths-child. So to you, I say thank you for making my day. ^^


	3. Awakening

Cloud paced in front of the sofa in the living room of the ex-Remnant's dwelling, trying to make sense of the potpourri that had become his mind. He had to prioritize; getting Sephiroth to wake up, interrogating the three conscious silver haired men, and replacing Yuffie's now useless materia were at the top of his list. The oldest man had been running a fever of 106 degrees, a tempurature that meant certain death for normal humans. Cures were having no effect at all, and Cloud was forced to resort to a Cetra spell Aerith had taught him in case of emergencies. It involved harnessing the very essence of a materia orb and transfusing it within a body. The downfalls were two; first, the materia becomes completely unusable, and second, if done incorrectly, the spell could backfire and kill the caster. With those risks in mind, Cloud had ventured to cast the spell anyway, and Sephiroth was now stable.

But it would still be a pain in the ass to explain to Yuffie.

He decided he'd think about a reasonable explination that didn't involve the actual sequence of events after he'd taken care of everything else.

The ex-Remnants were sitting on the sofa, Loz and Yazoo on the ends with Kadaj between them. They followed Cloud's pacing figure with their eyes. Loz was concerned about Sephiroth's well-being. Yazoo was waiting for Cloud to stop burning a hole in the carpet with his pacing. Kadaj was just plain clueless, and was waiting there for someone to explain to him what the hell was going on.

Cloud eventually stopped, and turned to face the three men on the sofa. "You," He began, pointing to Loz, "are going to tell me how you know Genesis. You," He pointed at Kadaj, "are going to tell me everything you remember from your time in the Lifestream. And you," He pointed at Yazoo, "are going to tell me what's up with _him_." He gestured to the door to Sephiroth's bedroom. "Do I make myself clear?"

"Um...yes sir?" Loz answered, raising his eyebrow at Cloud's drill seargent voice.

"Wait, wait," Kadaj interrupted, crossing his arms, "why should we tell you anything?"

"Because if it wasn't for me, Loz would still be sick, you'd still be unconscious, and Sephiroth would still be dying of an elevated tempurature." The blonde growled out.

Kadaj shook his head defiantly. "And what happens if we tell you something you don't want to hear? What will you do then?"

Cloud was silent for several moments. "...I'll do what I have to do to protect Gaia."

"So you would kill us." Kadaj stated rather than asked.

Cloud opened his mouth to respond, but thought better of it, and simply nodded solemnly.

Beside him, Loz and Yazoo looked down. They both understood their actions, and also understood that they didn't deserve to be forgiven, but did that mean they deserved to die? It hadn't been them. It had never been them. It had been their genes. It had been Jenova.

The entire time, they had just been Jenova's marionettes. Vessels for her will.

But now that their strings had been cut, they didn't know what to do. They were reborn into a world that hated them, all because of their genes. All because of Jenova.

Cloud crossed his arms. "What becomes of you will be for me to decide, _after _I know the whole story. Now, which of you is willing to tell me that story?"

Loz sighed. "That redhead guy, Genesis. I met him in the Lifestream. We all met people in the Lifestream. There were three guys and a girl, but I only talked with him. He made it sound like he really didn't want to be there. Said something about getting a gift from the goddess in return for his help."

"That's Genesis, alright." Cloud said, rolling his eyes. "Start from the beginning for me."

"Um...one minute I'm an essence in the Lifestream, and the next, I'm in some gigantic chapel looking place."

_Loz looked around, his eyes instantly resting on the large marble statue that stood in the front of the room. He approached it. A gold plate identified the statue as the goddess, Gaia._

_"Beautiful, is she not?" A voice asked. Loz turned and met eyes with a man dressed in red. The man sighed and turned away from him. "Such a shame. She's given her gift to such lowly creatures..." He sighed again. "Perhaps she'll give me her gift if I assist her."_

_"Uh, who are you and where am I?" Loz asked._

_The man turned to him again. "You may call me Genesis. As for where you are..." He chuckled. "You are in the Goddess' domain, her temple of divinity."_

_Loz blinked, confused._

_Genesis rolled his eyes. "The Goddess has given you another chance, along with her grace, and you don't even know her? Pathetic."_

_Loz hmphed at him. "Will you explain to me what's going on here?"_

_The redhead looked to the ceiling. "No time for explanations." He walked to the silver haired man, handing him a book and pushing him towards the temple's exit. "Anyone who knew me knows that book. It'll be all the proof you need." Loz nodded absentmindedly. Genesis opened the door, and a white light blinded him. The next thing Loz knew, he was falling into oblivion. Genesis' voice flitted through his mind._

_'Hidden in act three lies the grace of Gaia's destiny'_

"And then I woke up back in my body." He concluded.

Cloud blinked and went to get the LOVELESS book. He flipped to the third act.

Out fluttered a note.

Cloud picked it up and opened it, recognizing Genesis' cursive handwriting.

_Poor Cloud, such a big role Gaia has given you. You have my blessing, my friend. Be patient with this one. His Goddess-given power will reverse the damage to the ashes of the world._

Ashes...Why did that sound familiar?

And then it hit him.

"Loz, hold out your hand." Cloud said, digging in his messenger bag. Loz raised an eyebrow and did as he was told. Cloud pulled out a drawstring bag. Opening it, he poured its' contents into Loz's awaiting palm.

The ashes of the silver lillies.

Almost instantly, the ashes weaved together to form four perfect silver flowers.

Loz blinked. "...Wow." Kadaj and Yazoo stared at the flowers, eyes wide.

"I've seen those before. I saw them in the Lifestream." Yazoo said, taking one of the flowers.

Cloud put away the now empty bag and raised an eyebrow. "Oh? And who did you meet?"

"Well..."

_Yazoo silently wandered the garden he'd found himself lost in. It was like a maze made of rose bushes and hedges, and he couldn't get out of it for his life. Just as he was about to climb a hedge and cheat his way out of the seemingly endless maze, he heard humming._

_Deciding that he didn't have a better lead at the moment, Yazoo decided to follow it. Louder and louder the humming got, closer and closer Yazoo got to who or whatever was making it._

_He followed it to a culdesac of rose bushes, all bearing blue roses. In the center of the circle was a patch of radiant silver lillies, and sitting indian style in the middle of them was a black haired man. He was facing Yazoo, but his eyes were closed, almost as if he was meditating._

_"I was wondering when you'd be arriving, Yazoo," The man took a deep breath and exhaled it slowly. He opened his eyes and smiled softly. "You look so much like him."_

_"Look like who? Where am I? Who are you?" Yazoo asked, retaining his calm and collected demeanor._

_The man kept his own demeanor perfectly calm as well. "I am Angeal. Angeal Hewley. You're in the Garden of the Heavens. And you look like Sephiroth, of course." Angeal smirked. "You look like your father as well."_

_"My...father...?"_

_Angeal nodded. "Poor child. You've been misled all your life. All living things have a father and a mother, and I assure you, your mother was human, as are you."_

_"Human...?"_

_He nodded again. "Human. Humans are weak creatures. Jenova took advantage of those weaknesses and used you and your brothers to do her bidding. But you won't have to worry about that anymore. The Goddess has marked you as her own, and has given you her grace."_

_"But...what does it mean to have a mother and a father? What does it mean to be human? What does it mean to get grace from a goddess?" He asked, furrowing his brow. "There's too much I don't understand."_

_"One day, you will understand everything. But today is not that day. Come here, I have something to give you before you leave." Yazoo reluctantly walked forward. Angeal handed him a small black box. "The charm on that earring will show that you've met me. Show it to any who doubt you."_

_The floor began to crumble below them._

_"It appears this is where you leave my company. Live well, Child of Gaia."_

_Yazoo fell through the ground and plummeted into the dark abyss that waited below._

"And that was it." Yazoo finished. He dug the box out of his pocket and opened it. Inside of it was a silver earring. Dangling from the short chain was a very small replica of Angeal's buster sword. Yazoo put in the earring and gave Cloud the box.

There was a note written on the bottom of it in Angeal's neat print.

_I'm glad to see that you've grown up to be a fine young man, Cloud. This one won't need too much guidance. You and him have quite a bit in common, actually. Bypass his defenses and he will be a good friend. The grace of the Goddess has given him not only a view of people's hearts, but an affinity for emotions as well._

"Emotions, eh?" He looked at Yazoo. "Yazoo, what am I feeling right now?"

"Paranoid," He answered automatically. His eyes widened, and he covered his mouth.

"How is Loz feeling?"

"Amazed."

"And Kadaj?"

"Like he wants to bite your head off."

"...Understandable." The blonde turned to the youngest of the three. "Your turn."

"..." Kadaj crossed his arms and pouted, but grudgingly recalled his tale.

_Kadaj raised an eyebrow as he looked around the forest he'd somehow appeared in. Everywhere he looked, trees of different shapes and sizes and colors obstructed his view. There was only one way he could go, so he walked in the direction that the trees were leading him in._

_The path went on for what seemed like forever, before finally coming to an end at a large cherry blossom tree. It was blooming, and an unseen wind blew loose petals around him. Kadaj walked to the tree. He rested his hands and forehead on the thick bark and sighed._

_"Isn't it pretty?" A voice said. Kadaj looked from side to side, raising an eyebrow when he didn't see anyone. "Up here!" Kadaj looked up and blinked when he saw a bright face smiling down at him from a branch. "Hiya!"_

_"Um...Hi?"_

_The black haired teenager smiled and jumped down from the branch. "You must be Kadaj."_

_"Yes I am. Now who, prey tell, are you?"_

_"Lieutenant Zackary Fair, SOLDIER first class. But you can just call me Zack. Nice to meetcha!" He said cheerily._

_Kadaj just nodded, not sure how to handle someone with such a...perky personality. "So...Zack...Where are we?"_

_"The Forest of the Ancients." He said with a shrug, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. "Every tree represents a god or goddess, and this one here," He gestured to the cherry blossom tree, "is the one for Gaia herself."_

_"Ah." He replied smartly. "Why were you sitting in it?"_

_"Waitin' for you to come my way!"_

_"...Why?"_

_"Because!" Zack smiled widely. "You're going back to Gaia."_

_Kadaj blinked. "I am? Why?"_

_The raven haired teen tapped his chin. "That's a good question. But all I can tell ya is that the Goddess knows when someone is acting on a will that isn't their own."_

_The silver haired teen stared at Zack blankly, showing his obvious confusion._

_Zack chuckled. "Here, i got somethin' for you." He took the chain around his neck off and put it over Kadaj's head. He grinned. "There! Now if anyone doesn't believe you when you get back, just tell 'em you're cool with a hero." Zack winked at Kadaj and snapped his fingers. The tree branches twisted, embracing the silver haired teen in dark eternity._

"Next thing I knew, I was here." Kadaj said. He pulled the chain off of his neck and handed it to Cloud. The chain was metal, and had Zack's dogtags on it. Two of the tags had Zack's basic information. Name, age, height, weight, and class. The third had emoticons on it, Zack's way of signing his work.

_Hey there, Cloud! :D You miss me there in the world of the living? Cuz I miss you to death! Haha, puns. :3 This guy's psycho, but he's the good kind of psycho. Y'know, my kind of psycho. XD Just keep him outta trouble, and he'll grow up fine. -^^- Looks like the Goddess has taken to him, too. She gave him the ability to purify stuff. :)_

Cloud raised an eyebrow. Going into the kitchen, he dissolved some salt in warm water and gave it to Kadaj. "Take the salt out of this."

Kadaj gave Cloud an "are you insane?" look, but attempted it anyway. Holding his hand over the glass, he focused on his palm, and was shocked to see the salt crystalize on his hand. The water was clear again. Kadaj returned the salt to its' bag and drank the water.

Cloud looked at the three silver haired men. Loz was adjusting Yazoo's earring, while Yazoo read Genesis' LOVELESS book, and Kadaj was trying to scrub the salt residue off of his hands.

All in all, they all looked like a normal group of brothers.

Cloud nodded, more to himself than to the three men, and silently walked to the door.

"Where are you going?" It was Yazoo who had called him.

Cloud stopped, but didn't turn to look at him. "My work here is done. You three are healthy, and Sephiroth is recovering. I don't see a reason to stay."

Loz raised an eyebrow. "Don't you wanna hear what Sephiroth has to say when he wakes up?"

Cloud turned his head too look over his shoulder. "I don't need to. It's obvious that the Goddess trusts you four. Who am I to go against her judgement?"

The blonde continued towards the door. The three silver haired men didn't try to stop him.

"Leaving without even saluting your superior officer, Strife? My my, what are Shaw and Adams and the Director teaching you all these days?"

For the second time that day, Cloud froze. He couldn't move. He couldn't speak. He couldn't even breathe.

All Cloud could do was shut his eyes and hope that he was dreaming.

~Meanwhile~

Tifa sighed as she polished and put away another glass. "Cloud was just making a delivery to Kalm. Shouldn't he be back by now?"

Reno took a drink of his beer and nodded. "Kalm ain't that far away. A few hours there and back, at most."

Yuffie gasped. "What if something happened to him? What if he was ambushed on the street or attacked by wild monsters?" She said, openly voicing her worried speculations, regardless of how rediculous they seemed. "He coulda been jumped by big scary truckers and had his brains screwed out and left in an alley to die!"

"Yuffie!" Everyone in the room scolded together.

Yuffie just scratched the back of her head and grinned sheepishly. "Y'know, it could happen!"

"In your twisted fantasies, maybe, ya psycho little brat." Cid scolded with a roll of his eyes. Yuffie hmphed at him, but kept his mouth shut. The room fell silent as Cloud's friends began making speculations of their own.

"Perhaps..." Vincent ventured, "I should go find him."

"If you go, then so will I," Tifa said, finishing the last of the glasses and hanging up her apron.

"Hey! Me too! I wanna see what he's up to, too!" Yuffie proclaimed loudly.

Vincent shook his head. "You have to tend to the bar, Tifa," He turned to adress Yuffie. "And you're too noisy."

Both girls pouted, but said nothing. They knew he was right. The room fell silent again.

"Then I'll tag along." Reno said, waving his hand lazily as he tipped his seat backwards.

"But you-"

"But what? I'm just as much his friend as you are, Vinny baby." The redhead smirked. "And I got absolutely nothin' better to do."

Vincent stared Reno down. He knew better than to trust a Turk. On the other hand, he himself had been one, and he knew how difficult it could be to keep a tough act going. Maybe the redhead was just showing a soft spot for the chocobo blonde?

He grunted. "Fine. But so help me, if you try _anything_, I'll smite you where you stand."

Reno grinned. "Yezzir, Mr. Vincent, sir." He said, giving the raven haired man a two fingered salute before walking out the door of the bar with Vincent on his heels.

.o.O.o.

A/N- hola! lol i have another chappie! the lack of reviews on the last chappie made me sad...but i did get two more now! yay! :D

cmsully- lol i just did! ;3

Ryder Bellamiren- Agh, Zack eyes! my one weakness! *tries to look away* cant...fight it...too...cute...OKAY, OKAY! I'LL WRITE MORE! *pout* Remember, you're forcing this on me, and I'm not doing it because i enjoy it, no sir, not at all! XD


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